Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
This thread has gotten dull. Let's get the hate flowing again. I give you, Marcus Smart.....Flopper In Chief.....such a team player..... :-)
Two-way tie atop 21st century NCAA tournament leaderboard
In the 17 tournaments so far this century, 150 Division I programs have tasted victory in the Big Dance at least once. In fact, six new teams joined that club just in the 2016 tournament. Congratulations to Arkansas-Little Rock, Hawaii, Holy Cross, Middle Tennessee, Providence and Yale.
At the other end of this spectrum there are, well, the usual suspects. Certainly the easiest measure of tournament success is how many titles you win. By this yardstick, Duke and Connecticut are tied with three championships apiece this century, though Huskies'fans will be quick to remind you their team has actually cut down the nets four times since 1999. (And, yes, UCLA fans might point out their team has won 11 titles in total.)
Then again, tournament games won this century can give us an additional and even more fine-grained picture of which programs have been consistently successful over the past 15-plus years. With that in mind, here's an updated list of the most successful tournament teams of the century based on victories since 2000. When applicable, ties were broken according to number of national titles:
1. Duke Blue Devils (42 wins)
National titles: 2001, 2010, 2015
The last time we did this list, Duke was in a first-place tie with Michigan State. Now the Blue Devils sit atop this list alongside Kansas. That being said, the Jayhawks, Spartans and every other team might need to step up their game to keep up with coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has what appears to be a pretty strong team ready to go next season. It's possible Duke could be adding four, five or even six tournament wins to its total for the century in short order.
2. Kansas Jayhawks (42 wins)
National title: 2008
Michigan State had its Middle Tennessee episode; Duke's ghosts wear uniforms from Lehigh and Mercer; and North Carolina missed the tournament entirely as recently as 2010. But the last time Kansas failed to win at least one game was the 2006 tournament. No team in the country can match Bill Self's 10-tournament-and-counting streak in this respect. Gonzaga, with wins in eight consecutive tournaments, comes closest. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Good think Roy bequeathed Self 12 of those when he passed
If only KU wasn't also tied with Duke (and the "greatest coach in US sports history") in tournament wins since Self arrived in 2003-2004 as well. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bill Self:
"Josh has been a guy that is so respected in all high school circles the last four years," Self said. "He is probably as highly thought of as any recent player to come out of high school because of his competitive nature. He left Detroit to finish his high school career at Prolific Prep in the Napa (California) area. He is very similar to Andrew Wiggins. He's a tall guard that can do a lot of everything. We feel his impact on our program next year will be as much as any freshman will have on any college program. He's extremely athletic but more importantly extremely competitive. We have a very competitive culture at Kansas but I think it just got improved with the signing of Josh. He's a guy that everybody enjoys playing with because he is so unselfish but also a guy that can take a game over."
Was told Self encouraged Selden to go to the NBA in Feb once he got word from Jackson he was going to sign if the 3 was open. That indication also made Brannen expendable. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Was told Self encouraged Selden to go to the NBA in Feb once he got word from Jackson he was going to sign if the 3 was open. That indication also made Brannen expendable.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall in selfs office when this kind of information comes in and the subsequent player comes in. And just what manner of words he uses to describe Cliffs mom and lawyer. [Reply]
Diallo is hiring an agent. He's gone. Good luck, kid. He's saying all the right things about KU and not lobbing grenades. I will root for him at the next level.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Updated: May 14, 12:29 PM ET
Cheick Diallo to keep name in NBA draft pool
By Jeff Goodman
ESPN.com
Cheick Diallo told ESPN he will sign with an agent and leave Kansas after just one season.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Diallo came to Kansas as one of the most heralded freshmen in the country, but his short stint with the Jayhawks never got on track.
The NCAA suspended him five games to open the season for receiving a limited amount of impermissible benefits. He only averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game the rest of the way.
"My time at Kansas was hard; the beginning was really hard," Diallo, who wrapped up his final game at the NBA combine Friday, told ESPN. "The NCAA stuff made it difficult for me, but even though I didn't always play a lot, I loved being at Kansas and loved supporting my teammates."
"It's not Coach's fault I wasn't playing," Diallo said, referring to Bill Self. "I'm not blaming anyone. I was hoping I'd play more time at Kansas, but it didn't work the way I wanted."
Cheick Diallo averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes in his only season with the Jayhawks.
Diallo, who moved from Mali to New York midway through his freshman year of high school, said the plan entering his freshman season at Kansas was to remain for one year.
"This is the time for me to go to the next level," he said. "And I'm trying to show the NBA the things I do well: block shots, rebound and run the floor. I can guard multiple positions."
Diallo finished with 18 points in front of NBA executives on Thursday. He also helped himself with his measurements, registering a 7-foot, 4½-inch wingspan and an 8-foot-11½ standing reach.
Diallo said he still hopes to be selected somewhere in the first round of the June 23 NBA draft. He interviewed with 12 teams in Chicago while at the combine, and likely will go and work out for eight to 10 teams beginning next week.
"I'm so appreciative of the opportunities I have," said Diallo, who has only been playing organized basketball for five years. "I never could have imagined all this five years ago."
More from Zags blog:
Spoiler!
Diallo update: Kansas University freshman Cheick Diallo scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Friday’s NBA Combine scrimmage in Chicago. After that effort, he told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman he will definitely hire an agent and stay in the draft.
Zagsblog.com says Diallo will sign with an agent Monday.
“This is the time for me to go to the next level,” the 6-9 Diallo told Goodman of ESPN.com. “And I’m trying to show the NBA the things I do well — block shots, rebound and run the floor. I can guard multiple positions.”
Diallo interviewed with 12 NBA teams at the combine and according to ESPN’s Chad Ford also told the NBA execs he planned to stay in the draft. He said he will likely work out personally for eight to 10 teams starting next week.
“I am so appreciative of the opportunities I have. I never could have imagined all this five years ago,” said Mali native Diallo, who has been playing ball five years.
He told Zagsblog.com: “The NCAA suspended me for 3-4 months so I came in late, nothing I can do. I was behind everybody. I could not help the team. Sometimes I played three, four minutes in the game but I’m a team player, I don’t get mad, I’m happy for my team every time.”
Of his time at KU, he told Zagsblog that getting a late start while the NCAA examined his high school academic materials, didn’t help any.
“If it’s not NCAA stuff, if the NCAA didn’t suspend me, definitely I play more....I was behind everybody. I just come in late, nothing I can do. I was not mad at the coach. Not mad at anybody, Just keep working hard every day,” he told Zagsblog.com.
Diallo has encouraged other players, including Udoka Azubuike, to sign with KU, Zagsblog reports.
“Basically, I’m not selfish, I do things for Kansas,” Diallo said. “I’m not going to say, ‘Bro, don’t come here.’ I’m not going to say that. He’s asking me. I say, “Kansas is nice.’ If he (Azubuike) committed, fans love you, coach loves you. My time here is totally different. It’s NCAA stuff. It’s totally different.”
From the above:
Originally Posted by CHEICK DIALLO:
“If it’s not NCAA stuff, if the NCAA didn’t suspend me, definitely I play more....I was behind everybody. I just come in late, nothing I can do. I was not mad at the coach. Not mad at anybody, Just keep working hard every day,” he told Zagsblog.com.
Diallo has encouraged other players, including Udoka Azubuike, to sign with KU, Zagsblog reports.
“Basically, I’m not selfish, I do things for Kansas,” Diallo said. “I’m not going to say, ‘Bro, don’t come here.’ I’m not going to say that. He’s asking me. I say, “Kansas is nice.’ If he (Azubuike) committed, fans love you, coach loves you. My time here is totally different. It’s NCAA stuff. It’s totally different.”
Also, Derrick Thornton apparently had a great visit. He has one left (a free trip to Miami) and then he's making a decision.
Here is what his dad had to say:
Originally Posted by Derrick Thornton's dad:
“He wants to take his time and make sure everything fits and it’s a win-win for both sides,” Thornton, Sr., tells Scout. Of KU, Thornton, Sr. said: “It’s the mecca of basketball. Legendary coach, legendary program, from Phog Allen all the way down to Bill Self. Tons of players in the NBA, up-tempo style, pick and roll, open basketball. Campus was absolutely beautiful. It’s a big school with 30,000 people. The gym and housing were the best I’ve ever seen. It’s a top notch program and the fan base is absolutely ridiculous.”
Former Liberty University center Evan Maxwell, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound sophomore out of Clarks Summit, Pa., is headed to Kansas University on a basketball scholarship, Maxwell told the Journal-World on Friday night.
Maxwell, who visited KU earlier this week, chose KU over Baylor, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech and perhaps others.
KU coaches cannot comment on transfers until paperwork is received and processed.
Maxwell, who averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a game his sophomore season for the Flames (13-19), is a graduate of Abington Heights High School.
Maxwell hit 63.7 percent of his shots (128 of 201) and 63 of 99 free throws (63.6) his sophomore season at Liberty.
He totaled six blocks, 10 steals, 17 assists, 68 turnovers on the season, logging 21.5 minutes per game.
He started 30 of 32 games as a sophomore.
Coming out of high school, Maxwell chose Liberty over Monmouth, his only other Div. I offer.
Sources say Maxwell will be a scholarship player at KU, thus the Jayhawks still have two scholarships to award for the coming 2016-17 season.
Maxwell showed improvement his sophomore season, as he went for 2.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 6.0 minutes a game his initial year at Liberty.
“He has good hands, great spirit and teachability, humility, unselfishness and a knack to score the ball,” first-year Liberty coach Ritchie McKay told the Scranton Times last season. “I thought, ‘Man, we’ve got a really good player here.’ I think he’s gotten to the point where he’s not just settling for being above average,” McKay added. “He’s trying to touch greatness.”
He had 22 points and eight boards last season in a loss to Princeton.
“The guys listen to him,” McKay told the Times. “And when you work as hard as he works, I think the other players take the onus and say, ‘I have to step up my effort because, look at Maxwell. He’s giving his very best.’”
Maxwell told the Scranton Times his improvement was helped by his losing 25 pounds the offseason between his first two seasons.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger, too,” said Maxwell, quicker and more agile his sophomore campaign. “I used to be able to push people around because I was heavy. Now I’m not as heavy, but just as effective.”
He is 6'10, 245. He sits out a year, then has two years of eligibility.
This is the best I could do for highlights:
He also has a little brother who is about to be a senior in HS. They say he is already 7'0 and the two of them want to play together. Self is a smart man. [Reply]
I don't get it. This kid averaged 10 and 4 in 22 minutes a game for....Liberty. LIBERTY. 13 and 19 record. He doesn't even block shots. He's just back end of the bench fodder. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BWillie:
I don't get it. This kid averaged 10 and 4 in 22 minutes a game for....Liberty. LIBERTY. 13 and 19 record. He doesn't even block shots. He's just back end of the bench fodder.
I'm assuming this is more about the little brother. [Reply]
